Ahead of his term ending, President Trump late this evening issued 143 clemencies. One of the pardons was for Anthony Levandowski, who was convicted of stealing Google’s self-driving technology before departing for Uber.
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Unlike other ride-hailing services, all the vehicles currently used for Waymo One are identical. Waymo’s solution for differentiating cars is to add a screen behind the windshield that displays a custom two-letter code.
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Since 2017, Waymo has offered a limited access to a sometimes “fully driverless” ride-hailing service, Waymo One, to select residents of Phoenix. Starting today, Waymo’s fully driverless rides will gradually become available to all customers in the Phoenix area.
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Besides operating a ride-hailing service, Waymo is offering its self-driving technology to carmakers. The latest deal sees Waymo partner with the Volvo Car Group.
Earlier this week, Waymo revealed a $2.25 billion external investment round to help expand its offerings. That expansion is also being aided on the technological front, with Waymo today detailing 5th-generation self-driving sensors.
As of early 2020, Waymo self-driving vehicles have driven 20 million miles on public roads. That makes for vast amounts of recorded sensor data to improve the autonomous system. Waymo today detailed its Content Search tool and database with billions of encountered road objects.
One year ago, Waymo launched a public self-driving ride service in Phoenix, Arizona. To mark that anniversary, Waymo One is getting an iOS app, while the Alphabet division shared usage details for the Lyft/Uber competitor.
Ahead of more and more self-driving cars appearing on the road, Waymo today published an instructional video on how first responders should interact with its autonomous vehicles in case of roadside emergencies.
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Last year, the legal saga between Waymo and Uber came to a close following a $250 million settlement. An “independent software expert” was installed to ensure that the ride-hailing company does not leverage any Alphabet tech for its self-driving cars. Uber may now have to license from Waymo or redesign its vehicles to avoid any further trouble.
Waymo One launched late last year in Phoenix, Arizona as the first public self-driving car service. However, those rides still have a human safety driver behind the wheel that is ready to take over in case of emergencies. The Alphabet company is now getting ready to test “completely driverless Waymo cars.”
Early last year, Waymo reached a nearly quarter billion dollar settlement with Uber that ended an ongoing trial over stolen self-driving technology. Federal prosecutors today charged former Google and Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski with theft of the former company’s trade secrets.
Alphabet’s Waymo has been running its One program in Phoenix for the past several months, with several perks for riders along the way. Today, it’s been revealed that Waymo has been testing out Wi-Fi for riders within its self-driving vehicles.
As Waymo continues its push for a driverless future, the Alphabet company is trying to expand to more regions. This week, the state of California has granted Waymo a permit to transport passengers in its self-driving vehicles.
Besides running a public ride service, Waymo is partnering with car makers and working on self-driving trucks to monetize its autonomous technology. The latter effort is getting a boost with the hiring of just over a dozen former Anki engineers.
Waymo has largely been testing and operating self-driving cars in the United States. The Alphabet division today announced a partnership with Renault and Nissan to bring autonomous vehicles to France, Japan, and other parts of the world.
Waymo’s autonomous technology can be adapted to other vehicles, with the Alphabet company last year detailing work on self-driving trucks. These larger AVs are now returning to Phoenix, Arizona for additional testing.
Late last year, Waymo launched the first autonomous ride service in Phoenix, Arizona. Before a wider launch, the Alphabet company has the big task of making self-driving cars inviting to the public. Waymo is now launching a contest that includes an all-expenses-paid trip to Phoenix.
With Waymo One last year, the Alphabet division finally began monetizing its decade-long work in autonomous vehicles. Another revenue source for Waymo is making its self-driving cars available on other ride-sharing networks. The company is now partnering with Lyft to provide self-driving cars for riders in Metro Phoenix.
Earlier this year, Waymo announced that it was opening a Michigan factory to retrofit Chrysler Pacificas and Jaguar I-Paces with self-driving tech. The Alphabet division has now selected a factory in Detroit and is planning to make it operational by mid-2019.
At the end of last year, Waymo One launched as the world’s first public self-driving car service. The Android app for Waymo One is now officially available on the Play Store, with the Alphabet division opening a waitlist for Phoenix, Arizona. The app today reveals several details about how the autonomous service will function.
Alphabet’s relationship with Uber is wide-ranging and increasingly contentious. The ridesharing company filed its S1 today ahead of an initial public offering. A number of details about the relationship were revealed, including Uber’s usage of Google Maps and the Waymo threat.
In a post on Medium, Waymo has confirmed massive expansion plans for a Technical Service Center in Mesa, Arizona.
Late last year, Waymo One launched as a self-driving car service in Phoenix after nine years of development. The Alphabet division still has a long rollout ahead of it, but it can begin recouping R&D costs. A new report today details how Waymo is looking for outside investors.